It's Always Darkest Before the Dawn
by Hopeless827
Summary: Been done to death, but my favorite to read so thought I would try writing. My thoughts on what might have happened after the ending of GWTW. I didn't find Scarlett to be realistic with Ms. Mitchell's Rhett and Scarlett. Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

-1-

"_Just keep walking_." It was the only thing that kept him moving forward as the cold mist closed the separation between him and the monstrosity of a house that had been his hell on earth for the past 4 years. "_Just keep walking_." He repeated it over and over in his head as if the phrase was a powerful mantra, the only thing that could provide his escape, his salvation from himself. The mist had turned into an annoying drizzle as he reached the depot, boarded the train and entered the private compartment. He was glad he paid the extra fair for privacy. He was not sure how long he could keep the mask of indifference in place before his emotions replaced it with the truth. He stared out the window at the new station that, less than 10 years ago, had been burned to the ground by Sherman during his march to the sea. Less than 10 years ago, Atlanta was reduced to rubble marking one of the turning points in the war and in his life.

Less than 10 years ago, he admitted to himself he was desperately in love with her and would do anything to win her love and be worthy, even join a retreating Confederacy to defeat at the Battle of Franklin. Less than 10 years ago was the first time he left her, left her on that dark road at Rough and Ready alone, hurt, angry and confused. It was the first time he kissed her; a sweet kiss any soldier would take to the grave. Then, she was his life-blood, his reason for fighting, returning from battle. Today, she was his poison, his addiction. He needed her now as much as he wanted her then. But he was beaten by his addiction. He needed to get her out of his system, she was driving him mad and if he didn't leave now he was sure that he would kill her, or her lover or both. He was so mad with jealousy over Ashley Wilkes; the simpleton coward who wasn't brave enough to love her and too arrogant to let go of her. Survival, he told himself, leaving her is self-preservation. Leave now or surely end his life hanging from the end of a rope one way or another. The rain picked up as the train lurched forward and Rhett found himself finally exhaling. How long had he been holding his breath? With the forward motion of the train he knew that the first steps in this long healing process were beginning. He was leaving behind the two great loves of his life, one buried in the cemetery, taken too soon and the other dead to him because of her obsession for a man that only loved her for what she reminded him of not for who Scarlett actually was.

In the reflection of the window Rhett saw someone he didn't recognize; a swollen middle-aged man that looked beaten. He saw the car server open the sliding compartment door and heard him ask if he would like to order a drink. Rhett did not turn but only indicated "no" with a wave of his hand. The time for drinking was past. If he was going to survive this, he needed to feel the pain. He needed it to remind him at every moment that he was doing what he had to do to be human again. He had not expected Scarlett's declaration of love this afternoon. Rhett admitted that it made him rethink his decision to leave. But then he remembered with whom he was dealing. This was a woman who was willing to lie to get anything she wanted. She lied when she came to see him in the jail after the war and told him how worried she was about him. She lied to Frank Kennedy, breaking his and her sister's heart just to get the taxes for Tara. She lied when she wanted him out of her bed stating it was because she didn't want any more children when instead she wanted to keep her body as a shrine to the wooden-headed Ashley Wilkes. She lied when she said the events before Ashley's birthday party meant nothing to her and he was sure that she was lying now about being in love with him. He reasoned once she realized that as his ex-wife she would be well taken care of that she would waste no time becoming the first ex-Mrs. Butler and the second Mrs. Wilkes.

Of course he was to blame too. Maybe if he hadn't been too stubborn or vain or plain scared and admitted sooner that he was in love with Scarlett she would have tried harder. Maybe if he had stayed away from Belle's and opened up to her in the days after Bonnie's death things would be different today. Thinking about that now was a waste of time. He didn't do any of those things and he could not go back and do them now. No, he was 45 years old and it was time for him to stop believing in the fairy tale happy ending that would never be Rhett and Scarlett. Ironically, the war had been the best time for him and Scarlett. His thoughts went to the few days before the war started, the first time he saw her walking up the staircase at Twelve Oaks, during the war when they danced at the ball for the "Glorious Cause", the many times at Aunt Pitty Pat's that he forced himself not to crush her to him and kiss her on the front porch and the end of the war, the night at Rough and Ready. Of course, their marriage had equally important memories. Their honeymoon, their trips to Tara and the night Bonnie was conceived. He felt the formation of a smile across his lips. He may never see Scarlett again and she may have crushed his heart but these memories were pure and nothing, not even Ashley Wilkes, could taint them.

Eventually sleep overtook him and the years of exhaustion seemed to lighten the farther from Atlanta the train moved. He knew he was a coward. Despite all of his bravado and claims of not being in love with Scarlett, not wanting to marry her in the first place or, even now, his desire to divorce her, he was too cowardly to sever all ties with her even if he never saw her again. Knowing that he had some claim over her as her husband or that he had a right to be sure she was taken care of would mean he would never go through with the divorce, no matter how much he threatened. Plus, not forcing a divorce immediately gave him the distinct advantage of keeping tabs on Scarlett while he was away from Atlanta without actually having to inquire about her comings and goings. He predicted that within three months she would be contacting him with divorce papers so that she could finally marry her one true love. Then he could claim victory and know that leaving her today was the right decision. He could hold his head up high knowing that he no longer played the fool and his hell on earth would end.

He decided that Scarlett was his punishment for his cruel treatment of women's hearts in the past. All the young and innocents that he seduced and made love to only to leave them crumpled and broken when he felt it was time to move on. He chuckled to himself when he thought that at first sight, that is what Scarlett was to be, his next conquest. He assumed that she would be an easy target, young, innocent, flirtatious, easily persuaded by men with knowledge of baser things. She was no lady that was apparent by the way she returned his stares as she ascended the staircase at Twelve Oaks and her open declaration of love to Ashley Wilkes in the library hours later. But fate had different plans for him this time and what a cruel mistress fate could be. In the time between the beginning of the war and his next encounter with the newly widowed Scarlett O'Hara Hamilton he could not get her out of his mind. Fate sealed her cruel deal the night of the ball when he bid for her dances and she shamelessly accepted in the name of "The Glorious Cause" defiantly proclaiming to him that she didn't care if he was Abe Lincoln himself, she was going to dance. He should have asked her then to marry him then but he was scared. Scared that she would laugh at him and throw her love for Ashley in his face. But his fear did not stop him from coming to call every time he was in Atlanta. He even caught himself on occasion imagining what it would be like to be married to her, that she and Wade were his family waiting for him to return from his voyages and blockade running.

That is the only reason he made Atlanta his base and why he showered the Hamilton's on Peach Tree Street with such lavish gifts. He was pretending; a fraud from the very beginning, that this family was his family. He had turned into everything in a man he despised and he couldn't care less. But admit it to Scarlett? Never! The closest he had come was the night he asked her to be his mistress. Originally setting out to propose marriage and declare his love but then taking the coward's way out the minute he sensed the slightest bit of mockery in her eyes. He almost asked her to wait for him at Rough and Ready but again, feeling the coward and ashamed of his true contribution to the South decided to wait. If by any chance he survived this fool idea of his he would propose then. Hell, he even had his mother send him his grandmother's ruby and diamond ring, a lady's ring nothing like the garish engagement ring he eventually gave her.

If it hadn't been for his damned need to avenge the attack of that young lady on his return to Atlanta, an ironic result of his newly found honor, he would have gone to Tara the moment his mother sent the ring to him. As it were, he ended up in jail with no way to get word to anyone and no way to plan for any future lest he be hanging from a rope in a few weeks. But did fate stop there, no. She decided he needed more punishment in the form of Scarlett showing up at his jail cell, declaring concern and caring only to reveal that she needed money and would do anything for it. A statement that she proved by marrying that old maid in britches Frank Kennedy before he could get out of jail and sweep her away. Perhaps the cruelest joke fate played on his misguided heart was Ella. The image of Scarlett and Frank making that child sickened him to this day. That any other man could have claimed her body in that intimate way made the bile rush to his mouth. So, again, he pretended. Pretended Ella was actually his; it was the only way to deal with the reality that she wasn't. Rhett was relieved when Frank was found dead alongside the road after the raid on Shantytown. He was beginning to think he would have to kill the man himself as his emotional and physical need for Scarlett only grew. His biggest regret was that he managed to save Ashley's life that night. He knew he didn't have to, but he couldn't stand to leave Melanie a widow: as if that mattered now that she was gone as well. And so like a fool in love, he ran to Scarlett the day of Frank's funeral and proposed. Again too damned afraid to tell her he loved her, hoping beyond hope that he could show her and that she would declare first. What a fool he was. And now the fool was returning home to lick his wounds. The train jerked to a halt and Rhett was woken from his slumber-induced mediation. He brushed the brim of his grey panama hat and positioned it on his head.

Rhett grabbed his travel valise and stepped off the train. The sun was shining and he could smell the salt in the air a slight breeze blowing the royal palms that lined the station platform. He looked around and found the small woman standing near the waiting carriage wearing a warm smile and showing unconditional love in her eyes. He faked a smile and waved at her kissing her on the cheek when he finally reached her outstretched arms, breathing in her familiar perfume. "Welcome home my dear" she said. "Thank you," he replied. "I can honestly say it is good to be home, mother." He helped his mother into the carriage then joined her and they left the station driving back to his boyhood home in silence.


	2. Chapter 2

-2-

Eleanor Butler's eldest child looked beaten. His face was swollen; no doubt from drinking too much and he did not sit as straight and tall as she remembered. This realization gave her mixed emotions. On one hand, her heart was broken with his that he had reached this emotional state. On the other hand, her heart was encouraged that her son had finally learned to love another person with so much passion that it would bring him to his knees. Eleanor had not seen her son since Bonnie's funeral. That was a time that she wished she could forget. Rhett and Scarlett were so blinded by their grief that neither could see how much they needed each other. Neither could see that only they could provide the comfort and mourning and healing that the other desperately craved. Eleanor wasn't surprised to receive Rhett's telegram that he would be arriving on the next train to Charleston. She was only surprised it took as long as it did. But if she knew anything about her son, it was that he never truly gave up on the people he loved. And he loved Scarlett with a passion that was frightful. He might tell himself that he was over her, but his condition as he stepped off the train screamed something quite different.

As they made the turn toward Battery Street, Eleanor finally gained the courage to speak. "Rhett, darling, how are Wade and Ella?"

"Oh, they are growing. I bet Wade has grown three inches since Bonnie's…..well, since the last time you saw him. He is becoming quite the horseman too. And Ella, well Ella is still the purest little heart you will ever meet. I miss them already." He spoke as if all were dead and he would never see them again.

Eleanor took a deep breath. "And Scarlett, how is she holding up with the death of Mrs. Wilkes?" Eleanor saw Rhett's body stiffen at the mention of his wife's name. She was afraid maybe she should have left it with the children. She braced herself for a cruel reply but Rhett just looked ahead and brushed the edge of his wide-brimmed hat. "Scarlett is who she is and who she has always been, mother. She's a survivor, no matter what the cost." The rest of the trip was made in silence.

Eleanor watched as Rhett slowly climbed the stairs to his room. It was nice to finally have him home. It was just too bad that it took the death of Rhett's father, a year earlier, and the crumbling of Rhett's marriage to see his return. Her eyes followed him until he disappeared at the top of the stairs and she heard the latch on his door softly click.

It was almost a week before Eleanor saw Rhett again. It was like living with a ghost. She could hear him moving about in his room; hear his footsteps as he paced the floor. She knew he was eating something as his trays returned to the kitchen with less and less leftover food as the days progressed. She tried to keep her distance. He needed time to work through whatever demons were haunting his heart and mind. Every night before she would retire to her room, she would stand with her ear to his door; just to be sure he was alright. The first two evenings she could hear him muttering angrily to himself this culminated into what sounded like soft weeping. It was all she could do not to open the door to hold him like he was a boy of 10 again and comfort him. But he wasn't a boy anymore and, in some respects, he was more like a stranger than a son. She had seen him less than six times over the past 10 years and only for a few hours for fear of her husband finding out. She had only heard from Scarlett's Aunts that he finally married and only saw Bonnie three times: once when she was christened, once when she and Rhett visited Charleston right after her husband died and then, of course, at Bonnie's funeral. There was so much about Rhett she didn't know, including how to comfort him or whether he would welcome it.

On the morning of the fifth day, Eleanor was having breakfast on the veranda taking in the fall air when Rhett finally appeared. He was clean-shaven, bathed and dressed impeccably as usual. There was no hint of the past four days he spent in his own personal hell in his room. He flashed his classic disarming grin, kissed her on the cheek and sat down across the table from her.

"Good morning, mother. Beautiful day is it not?"

Eleanor studied him cautiously, grasping that he was taking the approach that the past 4 days never happened. "Good morning, darling. You are looking very handsome today. You must be feeling well."

Rhett and Eleanor sat in silence and drank their coffee. Rhett pretended to read the newspaper, but it was clear that his mind was a million miles away. Finally Eleanor spoke.

"Do you have any grand plans today dear?"

"I was hoping to get some business issues out of the way and thought it might be nice to take you to dinner this evening. I have a craving for Chef Henri's famous crab bisque. Is he still at Le Mer?" Rhett wiped his mouth with the crisp white linen napkin and reclined in his chair.

"I believe he is. That would be wonderful. I haven't been to Le Mer for years. Since before you father fell ill." Eleanor trailed off and stared blankly at her son.

Rhett sat up in his chair and took Eleanor's hand. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you during that time mother. I wanted to be there for you but I was afraid my presence would have cause more damage than good. Maybe a part of me didn't want to give daddy the satisfaction of receiving a deathbed reprieve for throwing me out of the family, for all the years he kept us apart. Seems silly now, a lot of things seem silly when you put them in perspective."

Eleanor squeezed Rhett's hand and smiled warmly. "I know you wanted to be here. The past is the past and living in the past only stops you from moving forward." Rhett smiled. "That sounds like something Scarlett would say." He gave his mother a kiss on the cheek and drained his coffee cup. "Well mother, I guess I better get going if we are to make dinner tonight." He stood to leave the table.

"Oh Rhett!" Eleanor said. "I almost forgot, these came for you yesterday. I didn't want to bother you with them until you were ready to rejoin the land of the living." Rhett gave her a sad, knowing smile as she handed him a stack of envelopes. He sat back down and started to sift through the letters. Most were quickly opened, read and neatly placed in a pile. These were obviously associated with various business dealings. He saved two envelopes for last. The one that was clearly addressed by a man's hand was opened first. Rhett appeared to read and reread this particular letter. He smoothed his mustache and sighed as he folded the paper and replaced it in the envelope.

"Is it bad news, dear?" Eleanor asked.

"No mother, it is actually the lack of news."

Eleanor was confused but felt it best not to press him. "Well, you know what they say Rhett, no news is good news."

Rhett laughed and tucked the letter inside his jacket. "Yes they do mother, yes they most certainly do. But in this case, I think no news is just no news." He then stood up collected his papers and grabbed the one unopened letter. "I will see you at 6 o'clock this evening mother." He got up from the table and walked into the house.

Eleanor watched him walk into the dining room and when he thought he was out of sight she saw him stop at the wastebasket and take out the unopened letter. He stared at it for a time then rubbing his thumb across the written address threw it away. Eleanor knew she should leave it alone, but curiosity got the best of her. She sat on the veranda reading the newspaper until she heard Rhett leave. Then she quickly moved to the dining room and removed the letter from the wastebasket. The delicate script was clearly written by a woman and Eleanor surmised that for Rhett to react as he did the sender was most likely Scarlett.

And so became the mail routine for the first three months that Rhett was with Eleanor. Stacks of letters would arrive; mostly business themed. One, Rhett would read, ponder and keep. Another he would throw away without opening. Always from the same person, always, Eleanor suspected, from Scarlett. She took it upon herself to retrieve these letters whenever possible. Not to read, but to keep and give to Rhett at the right time. She had no idea but had a feeling that they contained information that Rhett needed to know. And like all good southern ladies, her gut would eventually prove to be right.


	3. Chapter 3

-3-

It had only taken about two weeks since Rhett's arrival at the Battery Street house for the busy bodies to start the gossip. Scarlett's Aunts Eulalie and Pauline were constantly bombarded with pointed questions regarding their nephew's presence without his wife and stepchildren. Of course they had no answers and wrote Scarlett to inquire on the nature of Rhett's visit. The only explanation they received was a terse note stating that Rhett had business interests in Charleston and that Scarlett could not leave the store and the children could not be taken from school at this time. They were asked to please dispel any rumors that were circulating and that all was well. This gave the Aunts very little relief but provided them with written documentation that all was well with their eldest niece.

If there was anything going on other than what Scarlett explained certainly the charming Captain Butler and his gracious mother were not giving away that information. Eleanor was as cheery as ever at tea and their bridge club meetings. Rhett was never seen without a disarming devilish smile. It was easy to believe that all was well with the Atlanta Butlers. However, two weeks turned into four and one month turned into two and Eulalie and Pauline's constant protests that all was well with Scarlett and Rhett soon fell on deaf ears. Of course Rhett was not immune to the glances and whispers when he took his mother to dinner or for their Sunday carriage rides. However, if he could endure the looks and whispers about Scarlett and Ashley with indifference, deflecting the sting of gossip regarding his failure of a marriage would be child's play.

The gossip was one thing, the reoccurring dreams, nay nightmares, were another. It always started the same. The fog around the Peachtree Street house was so thick it was suffocating. This Rhett surmised most likely subconsciously entered his sleep from his memory of Scarlett's old night terrors. At any rate, it always started with the fog. Then he could hear her, her voice in the distance, calling him to her like a siren's song. He was powerless to ignore it and was drawn to its sound, not seeing but somehow knowing exactly where to find the source of the voice.

"Rhett, darling. I'm here Rhett," she cooed. "Darling I have missed you! Come to me, Rhett." Every time he would run through the fog until he could make out her form. He would reach out to her, longing to touch her smooth perfect skin, to smell the lemon verbena in her hair to crush his lips to hers until they were both breathless and satisfied. He would get just close enough to take her hand only to find that she was not alone. She was there, embracing her lover, Ashley Wilkes and they were laughing at him. Laughing as he fell to his knees having the wind rush from his lungs and his heart twist inside his chest. Then they would turn, hand in hand and leave him, disappearing into the fog. Every time he would sit up in bed screaming her name, beads of sweat trickling down his face. He thought that the longer he stayed away from Scarlett, the dreams would eventually fade. He was wrong. He cursed her and cursed himself for not being able to extract her from his brain. Damn her for telling him she loved him just as he was leaving. Why couldn't she just leave him alone to get on with his life? How could she have this affect on him from hundreds of miles away? He would forget her, he had to forget her she was his poison and she was slowly but surely killing him. He told her he would return enough to keep the Atlanta gossips at bay; that was a mistake. He would be better to never see her again and to divorce her quietly. Unfortunately for Rhett, Scarlett was not the only woman he could never refuse for his mother had other plans for her son.

Two weeks before Christmas, Eleanor decided she had had enough. It would be difficult to squelch talk over the holiday if Rhett remained in Charleston without his family. There was already no excuse for Scarlett and the children to not have joined Rhett or for him to be back in Atlanta. His business had slowed as it does near Christmas and the children were on holiday break. So Eleanor screwed courage her in place and approached the subject with her son one evening at dinner.

"Rhett, I was thinking." She began.

"A very dangerous occupation in my personal experience", Rhett teased his mother as he looked up from his plate.

Eleanor would not be distracted. "Yes, well at-any-rate, I was thinking that it might be nice to have Scarlett and the children here for Christmas." There, she had said it. She eyed him cautiously and held her breath.

Rhett peered at his mother over his raised bourbon glass. He swallowed the hot liquid and gently placed the glass on the table. Every movement calculated and controlled. "I am not sure that is such a great idea, mother." He spoke politely but he eyes were eerily dark.

Eleanor had decided it was too late to turn back and she knew she would never have the courage to bring up the subject again. "Well, why ever not darling? You are quite finished with your business affairs and the children are out of school until the New Year, I would love to have children in the house again for Christmas. I could throw a large party and decorate like I did when you, Ross and Rosemary were small. Please Rhett, I have these beautiful grandchildren that I can't even spoil and Ross and Caroline won't marry for another 6 months and Rosemary is still in school for another year. And well, I am not getting any younger Rhett. While your father was alive I knew there was no chance that he would allow me to have a relationship with your children."

Rhett stared at the amber liquid as he swirled it around in the glass. The candlelight cast a strange glow on his face and his eyes became narrow and brooding. "They are not my children, mother, they are Scarlett's. You have never been a simpleton, it is one the reasons I love you so much. You are fully aware that Scarlett coming here for Christmas is not possible. Please, don't push me on this issue." He lifted his eyes to meet Eleanor's.

She took in a quick breath. Never before had she seen such pain mixed with anger. She knew he was holding his temper out of respect for her. Knew that to continue pressing the issue of Scarlett visiting would be madness but this was her house and if he was going to stay with her and insist on subjecting her to the ridicule and gossip of Charleston, she would know exactly what was going on with her son.

"You're right, Rhett, I am not a simpleton so stop treating like one. I want to be able to help you. I know something is not right between you and Scarlett. I have known ever since Bonnie's funeral. But I also know that you love her. I don't care how much you try to deny it or put on a false air for all of Charleston, I am your mother and I know you! I will not tolerate being lied to Rhett Kincade Butler, and I will not go on dispelling rumors to save your feelings. If you won't tell me what is going on with you and Scarlett, then maybe she will! Now, if you will excuse me, I have lost my appetite." Eleanor placed her napkin on her plate and stood up from the table to her full height, squaring her shoulders. Without another word or glance at Rhett, she walked out of the dining room. Only flinching on the stairs when she heard Rhett's glass explode as it hit the marbled fireplace.

Rhett stormed out of his mother's house and walked down toward the river. He needed to get out. The walls were closing in on him and he was terribly close to saying something to Eleanor that he would likely regret for the rest of his life. Why did all the women in his life insist on tormenting him? He could give a damn if all of Charleston knew that he and Scarlett were headed for a divorce. Hell, he would put an official announcement in the Gazette if that would give him peace and keep the old cats from worrying his mother with gossip. He reached the spot at the river that been his secret place when his father was being particularly harsh. He would run from their old house to the point at the river where a large willow tree stretched its branches to break the plane in the water. The tree had been there for as long as Rhett could remember. When he was smaller he could hide from his father in the hollowed out section of the trunk that presumably had been hit by lightening at some point. He smiled when he thought of the many times he hid in that tree.

Rhett sat down on the tree's roots that extended out toward the river. He lit a cigar and inhaled the smoke from the sweet cherry tobacco. He exhaled hard and watched as the smoke floated across the water catching the moonlight as it went, finally disappearing into oblivion. For a moment he thought how he envied that smoke. The idea of disappearing in a puff of smoke was extremely appealing to him right now. He inhaled again and watched the smoke. With each dissipating cloud of smoke his anger with his mother subsided. He knew she was right, it wasn't fair for him to keep his relationship with Scarlett a secret from his mother. She needed to know the truth, or at least the important part of the truth, so that she could at least defend herself from the busy bodies. Rhett scratched his chin with his thumb wondering how he got to this point. How did he let one person have so much power over him? At least she is a worthy adversary he thought to himself.

His mind drifted back to the night he left Scarlett. It was the first time he let himself think about that night. He was afraid that if he gave it any time at all that he would realize he made a huge mistake and would hop the first train back to Atlanta begging forgiveness. But tonight he was tired fighting and he allowed his heart rule his mind. She looked so sad that night, returning from Melanie's deathbed, realizing too late how much she loved her, how important she was to Scarlett. Of course Rhett always knew it. He knew that Scarlett cared more for Melanie than she would ever admit. He thought about how desperate she looked as he left her at the door of their house. Even with a face swollen by tears she was beautiful. The redness of her eyes only intensified their emerald green.

"But I love you!" she cried. "If you leave, where will I go, what will I do?" It had taken everything he had not to crush her to him then. Not to take her up the stairs the way he did the night of Ashley's damned birthday party and make love to her until she begged him for mercy. She was so convincing with her plea. He chuckled, what a child she was. Thinking that telling him what he wanted to hear would change his mind. Damn her! Why couldn't he stop thinking about her, stop thinking about her children…no, his children. His mother was right on that count, they were for all intents and purposes her grandchildren. After all the years of living under his father's thumb not being able to spent time with Bonnie while she was alive, how could he deny her a relationship with Wade and Ella?

Those children had been through enough, never knowing their real fathers, having a mother that did not show affection in the traditional way, not having Scarlett's parents, losing their little sister and now…..Rhett threw his cigar in the river and watched as the red ember was extinguished and engulfed by the murky water. He ran a shaking hand through his thick dark hair. And now it was his fault that Wade and Ella lost the only father they ever really knew. He'd be damned to do that to them. He would not abandon them the way his father abandoned him. Rhett stood and made his way back to the house. Regardless of his issues with Scarlett, he had an obligation to Wade and Ella and he intended to fulfill this obligation no matter how much pain it caused him.

He rounded the street to the house, which was now dark except for the gas porch light that flickered in the breeze. The house was still like a tomb. His mother was right; it might be nice to have children around for Christmas. He walked up the stairs and gently knocked on his mother's bedroom door. Eleanor opened the door a crack to see Rhett standing outside, he had a strange look on his face. Not so much defeat but resignation and something else she couldn't quite place. "Yes, Rhett?" She said. He shifted his feet and looked down at his hands. "I want to apologize, mother. I have thought about it and you are right. Wade and Ella are my children…..your grandchildren and I have no right to keep you from them. You should write Scarlett tomorrow and invite her and the children to spend the holidays with us if you like. I doubt she will come, but I promise not to stand in your way of getting to know Wade and Ella. They have been through enough and deserve some normalcy in their lives. If that is possible."

Eleanor grabbed Rhett's hand causing him to look up. "Thank you, dear. I will write to her in the morning." Giving his hand a squeeze, she released him and closed the door. Rhett stood outside her door contemplating what he had just done. Slowly he turned making his way to his bedroom, fell on the bed and into a deep well-deserved sleep without demons in the mist.


End file.
